The City of Buenos Aires is the capital of the Argentine Republic and is located in the southern hemisphere. Approximately 3 million people live in this city. Including the metropolitan area, the total population of Buenos Aires is above ten millions, making it one of the 10 most populated urban centers in the world.
Buenos Aires was founded twice; the first foundation was in 1536. Don Pedro de Mendoza, a Spanish colonizer, established the first settlement. He named it Ciudad del Espíritu Santo y Puerto Santa María del Buen Ayre. The second, and final, foundation was in 1580. Juan de Garay called the site Ciudad de Trinidad.
Nowadays, Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan city in which people with different cultures and religions live together.
Culture
Buenos Aires has always been an open-door city. Its inhabitants are called porteños, which makes reference to the fact that the city is a port. The inhabitant of the province of Buenos Aires is called bonaerense.
Porteños are warm and hospitable: they usually invite tourists for lunch or dinner at their homes and prepare typical food.
The characteristic infusion is the mate. It is prepared by pouring warm water into a gourd, also called mate that contains yerba mate.
Some people add sugar, but most prefer "un amargo" (a mate without sugar).
Tango is probably the most international thing of Argentina. This music was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, notably in the brothels of the Junin y Lavalle district and in the arrabales (poorer suburbs). Its sensual dance moves were not seen as respectable until adopted by the Parisian high society in the 1920s, and then all over the world. In Buenos Aires, tango-dancing schools (known as academias) were usually men-only establishments.
Tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras of Argentina and Uruguay as well as in other locations around the world. The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow connect at arms length, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect chest-to-chest.
Other things that are important of Buenos Aires culture are soccer (River Plate and Boca Junior, the two largest soccer clubs of Argentina) and “parrilladas” (steak plates).
Sights
• Metropolitan Cathedral:
In 1692, construction of the first cathedral was carried out on this same plot. In 1822, the current building was finished, after a century and a half of several architectural works. Inside the cathedral, you can observe pictures and sculptures, mainly made by Italian artists.
You may access the mausoleum where General Jose de San Martin remains are. He has been a hero of our independence.
• Teatro Colón (Columbus theatre):
A major theatre on the international classical music circuit, the Colón opened its doors in 1857. Although its original location was opposite Plaza de Mayo, it was moved to the present site in 1888. The construction work, which took from 1889 to 1908, was directed by Tamburini and Meano, both of whom died during construction. It was completed by Belgian architect Dormal and the first opera performed here was “Aida”.
The central, horseshoe-shaped auditorium is considered to have some of the best acoustics in the world. The dome was painted by Raúl Soldi.
The theatre has a permanent company, a corps de ballet, orchestras, scenery and wardrobe workshops, a library and a museum.
• La Recoleta Cementery:
The orchard of the monks Recoletos became a public cemetery in 1822, after the expulsion of this religion order. In its almost six hectares, lie the rests of fathers of the country, independence heroes, presidents of the Republic, writers, scientists and artists.
• National Museum of Fine Arts:
The most important in our country and one of the main in America. There are 32 rooms, where permanent patrimony is exposed, together with changing expositions. Its collections involve more than 10,000 art pieces.
We can see art pieces by Goya, El Greco, Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, Kandinsky, Miró, Bourdelle, Rodín, Cándido López, Prilidiano Pueyrredón, etc.
• MALBA Latin America Art Museum:
Malba – Costantini Foundation opened its doors on September 21, 2001. Is a not-for-profit institution featuring the Costantini Collection, and also a dynamic cultural center, that constantly updates art and film exhibitions and develops cultural activities.
The Costantini Collection consists of a selection of more than two hundred works, including drawings, paintings, sculptures and objects by 78 artists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela. The body of works allows us to appreciate both the coincidences and the differences among the great Latin American artists, and to allow for a new reading of Latin American art history.
• Historical National Museum:
It was founded on May 24 1889. It was settled on the house of Gregorio de Lezama, in 1897. Their line follow Italian architecture, so much applied in Buenos Aires between 1850 and 1880. The premises lighten the traditions of the Revolution of May and the Wars of the Independence and other memorable periods of the national history of the 19th century.
• Botanic Garden:
It was inaugurated in 1898. This is the main work of the French landscaper and architect Carlos Thays. Currently, it occupies a surface of almost eight hectares. It has been calculated that 5,000 to 6,000 plants species have been planted.
The Argentine flora prevails, including characteristic species from each province. The rest of the areas comprise vegetable samples from each continent.
The garden has been decorated also with sculptures and fountains.
• National Library:
The National Library was founded in 1811. It holds approximately 2,000,000 pieces, and the newspaper library is the most important in Latin America. Current building was projected by architect Clorindo Testa in association with Alicia Cazzaniga and Francisco Bullrich. From the original design until the inauguration in 1992, three decades went by. There are nine reading rooms with a total capacity for 940 readers and among other dependences, an auditory and a School of Librarians.
Interesting facts on Buenos Aires
• Area of Buenos Aires: 202 square kilometers.
• Number of inhabitants: 3.000.000.
• Population density: 6,733 per square kilometer.
• Capital: Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina.
• Monetary unit: Peso ($).
• Telephone country prefix: +54.
• Internet country code: .ar
• Time difference: GMT – 3.
• Road network: Quite Good.
• Prices in general:
o Pasta: $15 to $50.
o Breakfast at patisserie: from $7.
o Bus ticket: between $1, 10 and $1, 25.
o Taxi: basic fare of $4.60 + 0.46 each 200 meters. Average trip lasting 8 minutes: $13 to $15.
o 5 star hotel: double room: $ 1050.
o 4 star hotel: double room: $ 650.
o 3 star hotel: double room: $ 230.
• Climate
The climate of Buenos Aires is mild all year round. The mean annual temperature is 18º C (64.4º F), making extremely hot and cold days very infrequent. July is the coldest month, although, frosts are rare. In winter, cold is moderate during the day, but temperature considerably drops at night.
In summer, the weather is hot and humid. Mornings are warm and during midday and the first hours of the afternoon, the temperature rises. At night, temperature goes down slightly. Rains are more frequent in autumn and spring. They are mild or last a short time. In the sunny days of autumn and spring, mornings are slightly cold; the temperature rises at midday and drops again at night.
• Festivals and recreation areas.
Buenos Aires is a city where things happen at every moment.
There are day and night activities in downtown and in neighborhoods too. So many events take place that sometimes they bring together and become festivals: several days or even weeks of art celebrations, with shows, lessons, chats, conferences and parties.
The fame of the porteño festivals attracts thousands of visitors who travel in order to get acquainted with trends or present their or own works. There are festivals all the year round, with international and domestic artists, in big open air spaces, in small cinemas or theatres, with new art and culture expressions but also the classic disciplines with innovative proposals.
In all of them, the same air is breathed inviting people to live the city as an endless party.
• This is a list of links to Websites with all information about Buenos Aires.
The official Buenos Aires Tourist Office Website
http://www.bue.gov.ar
The official Buenos Aires Government Website
http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar
For general tourist information
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/argentina/buenos-aires
For public transportation schedule and maps
http://www.sbase.com.ar
Buenos Aires city map
http://mapa2.buenosaires.gob.ar
Official website of Buenos Aires museums. (Spanish)
http://www.museos.buenosaires.gov.ar
AUREN contact:
Josefina Maluf
jmaluf@bue.auren.com
Tel.: 54 11 5199 2500/2505
Fax: 54 11 5199 2501 |
